The present invention relates to an adaptive cruise control system on a vehicle. It finds particular application in conjunction with encouraging the continued use of a vehicle's adaptive cruise control (ACC) system in non-typical driving conditions and road terrain and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
Conventional ACC systems are designed for typical driving conditions and road terrain and attempt to balance maintaining the requisite gap (e.g., about 3 seconds) to a forward vehicle, maximizing fuel economy, safety, and driver sentiment. Non-typical driving conditions or road terrain present challenges for conventional ACC systems. Such non-typical driving conditions or road terrain include slight, moderate, and steep grades; unusual curves; non-typical off-ramps or on-ramps, and any other non-typical road terrain. It is not unusual for drivers in non-typical driving conditions or road terrain to override (e.g., disengage, turn-off, and/or change such as modify the speed of the vehicle to pass another vehicle) the vehicle ACC and manually drive the vehicle without the benefit of ACC system.
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus and method which addresses the above-referenced problems.